For the first time in Vanuatu’s 30-year history since independence a joint debriefing meeting was held yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Vanuatu’s heads of diplomatic and consular missions based in Europe, China, America and the Pacific region.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador Donald Kalpokas, Ambassador Willie Jimmy, Ambassador Roy Mickey Joy, Consul-General Raymond Manuake, and Honorary Consul McKenzie Kalotiti.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Joe Natuman, said the debriefing is an initiative that the government will always support to improve the performance and achievements of diplomatic and consular missions of Vanuatu in the different regions of the world.
Natuman said recently the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took a decision to terminate the appointments of all foreign nationals who were representing Vanuatu in different parts of the world.
He said this took place for two reasons.
The first reason is that the terminations were done because there was no good reporting from these offices and the second is because diplomatic and official passports that are with foreigners to comply with the new Diplomatic and Official passports Act.
At the same time Natuman said the ministry recognizes that this policy decision has affected the representation of Vanuatu in some important and strategic areas of interest for Vanuatu.
“But it is important that foreign service of Vanuatu must be one that the people who are appointed, whether foreign or ni-Vanuatu, must have passion, commitment, and proper understanding in development priorities of Vanuatu.
“Work is underway to tidy up representations of Vanuatu and I am confident that this year, the government will appoint some honorary consuls in some part of the world to complement the work of the embassies and consulate generals of Vanuatu.
“The world is changing a lot and challenges are increasing, therefore it is important to change our culture and ideologies and introduce new ways of making business.
“Because this is the first meeting (of its kind), I will welcome inputs or proposals to improve how to run such meetings in the future,” the foreign minister told those present in the room.
He then outlined the legal requirement of reporting by foreign missions.
“Public Service Act of 1998 makes it clear that Director Generals must prepare annual reports before March 31 each year and ministers are required to table ministry reports to parliament within 14 sitting days after receiving the report.
“Heads of diplomatic and consular mission report to the ministry of foreign affairs on achievements, challenges and opportunities that they went through in previous years.
“Reports of Vanuatu missions overseas form an important part of annual report of the ministry of foreign affairs.
“When the government appoints an ambassador, a consul-general or a honorary consul, its expects that person to run Vanuatu’s mission in a manner which is professional, positive, protects and defends all the time national interests of the country, according to development priorities of the government and with good accountability and transparency in their work and their financial resources,” Natuman said.
He said the government and the public must recognize that as representatives of the government in different parts of the world, diplomatic missions and consular missions of Vanuatu need to have the necessary financial and human resources to represent the government in different dialogues and negotiations with development partners such as the United Nations General Assembly and many other UN Committees in New York; ACP council of ministers and other ACP agencies and members of the European Commissioner in Brussels; different agencies of the government of the People’s Republic of China; government and institutions of New Caledonia with the large Vanuatu population there; and government agencies and farmers in New Zealand who recruit a lot of workers from Vanuatu.
“There is need to have necessary resources to maintain foreign missions and situations that may affect Vanuatu’s identity overseas.
“If the government fails to support our missions, Vanuatu will lose a lot of opportunities to support development of the people, especially in the rural area.
“At the same time, it is also important that these missions put a lot of effort to use these resources and time of the mission more efficiently to ensure that the work of foreign service can progress in a way that puts the interest of this nation and its people first,” Minister for Foreign Affairs, Joe Natuman said when opening the meeting yesterday.
Natuman commended all heads of foreign missions for the work they have been doing so far that the country has benefited from.
The heads of Vanuatu’s foreign missions also made presentations at the meeting yesterday which media was excluded from the presentations.
The meeting was hosted at the Le Lagon Resort.
- Royson Willie